Vol 1 July - September 2015 NAIROBI CENTRAL …nairobicentralsda.or.ke/images/downloads/herald_vol1.pdfopportunity to download soft copies free of charge through the church website

NAIROBI CENTRAL HERALDVol 1 July - September 2015

1

HERALDNAIROBI CENTRAL

Volume 1 July - Sep 2015Quarterly Newsletter

This yearrsquos camp meeting is slated for 8th to 15th August 2015 at Nairobi

Central Church During the entire week there will be full day events starting from 730 am to 630pm every day The Theme

for the meeting will be Revived by His Second Coming As is usually the case speakers have been drawn from across our world divisions Key among them is the main speaker Pastor (Dr) Baraka Muganda Vice President Washington Adventist University USA There will be sessions handling family life for all age

groups as well as special sessions for groups like widows and widowers singles senior parents senior youth and young parents Topical and biblical issues which affect members will be presented and discussed by the congregation

2015 Camp Around the Corner

On behalf of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Nairobi Central the

Pastorate entire leadership of the Church the membership and the Publishing department I wish to introduce to all of us the new baby ndash the Nairobi Central Herald Quarterly Newsletter I believe the entire church fraternity will join me to welcome this newsletter whose main objective is promote evangelism in and outside our church EG White states that ldquoThere are many places in which the voice of the minister cannot be heard places which can be reached only by our publications ndash the books papers and tracts filled with the Bible truths that the people needrdquoThis newsletter is also in line with our strategic plan which outlines soul winning as one of the five areas of our strategic focus Soul winning is not only an important strategy of our Church but also the ultimate result linked to the mission of the

Church inculcated by members of various departments The other being Spirituality Leadership Self-support and UnityThe newsletter will also be used as a communication medium of informing the church membership of the many activities that the membership should know as well as promoting and nurturing writing skills among the membership The Pastorate wishes to lay emphasis on four key areas Mission and Family Mission and Church growth Mission and Pastoral care and Healing The family is pillar of the society The enemy has largely attacked the family We will wish to put much emphasis on this area Mission and Church growth depends on a defined theological focus Urban Ministry need to be redefined and we will lay emphasis on this area as wellFor the last four years our baptismal growth shoot up by over three thousand The care for new baptized members is a

great concern for the Church because they require pastoral care David Seamands in his book ldquoHealing for Damaged Emotionrdquo States that ldquoThe denied problems went underground only to later reappear in all manner of illness eccentricities terribly unhappy marriages and sometimes even in the emotional destruction of the childrenrdquo We need in our Church to conduct prayer for damaged emotions and unhealed memories These emotions are hidden only unveiled through deep study of the word of God and focused prayer Three years ago we carried out Spiritual Gifts Inventory exercise for all members in our Church The Spiritual gift inventory for individual and congregation was aimed in assisting members in discovering their gifts Each member who participated in the exercise discovered his or her primary and secondary gift The Pastorate wishes to see the members develop themselves through the means of Godrsquos grace as they develop their gifts

WOW A New BabyIntroductory Note by Senior Pastor Alex Ambuchi

Continued on page 6

Sr Pastor Alex Ambuchi

The climax of the recent Vacational Bible School(VBS) Story and more pictures on Pg 7


2

TABLE OFCONTENTS

Nairobi Central Church has established a new Department Publishing

Department

Among the priority activities of the department is the publication of this quarterly newsletter which will be sold as a hard copy while the members will have the opportunity to download soft copies free of charge through the church website The main focus of the newsletter will be to promote evangelism be used as a medium of communication of informing the church membership of many activities that the members should know as well as promoting and nuturing writing skills among the membership In this newsletter we look forward to highlight the work of the various Church Departments with special focus on soul winning sharing basic Truths of the Bible and encouraging Bible Study to enhance spiritual growth The newsletter will provide an opportunity for documentation of personal testimonies compilation of book summaries sharing of Bible quotes puzzles and interesting tips and communicating lessons learnt from the activities of the various Church Departments

The newsletter will also be used to document the history of Nairobi Central Church Currently we have little information on how the church was started and we are not sure what is available in the archives In this regard we wish to appeal to all church members to share with us any information and any photos which will help us celebrate our past even as we look forward to a strong future as we await the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour

Further we look forward to facilitating authorship among Nairobi Central Church members The department will organize a writing seminar during this year for those interested in writing books and other literature that are focused on Godrsquos word

We are very hopeful that this quarterly newsletter will make a major contribution to soul winning as we share the word of God and our various testimonies with our family members friends and at the workplace

Publishing Department Gets Off Ground

Editorial Board

ChairmanSammy Masara

The Pastorate Alex Ambuchi Vincent Okongrsquoo Gerald Mochoge Childrenrsquos Department Steve Areba

Youth Department Gevira Omondi Communication Department Elijah Omwenga

PMC ndash Robert Arunga Health ndash Joseph Kwasa

Publishing Department Vincent Orinda Asenath Ongeri

EDITORIAL

BIBLE TEXTS TO PONDER2 Chronicles 19 verses 6 ndash 7 (NIV)

When King Jehoshaphat king of Judah appointed judges in each of the fortified cities of Judah he told them

Vs 6 ldquoConsider carefully what you do because you are not judging for man but for the Lord who is with you whenever you give a verdict

Vs 7 Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you Judge carefully for with Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or briberyrdquo

All readers are encouraged to contribute Bible texts that challenge us

Introductory Note1

Editorial 2

Main Story 3

Pastorate 4

EldershipDeconsDeaconesses5

Departmentals6

Children7

Youth 8

Design layout byKelvin Nyagancha


3

a reward for those who invited an Adventist a backslider and non-Adventist The latter receiving the greater marks My heart was stirred and my mind started racking for the friends and family who had backslidden in their faithCame the final Sabbath The winners were announced from the 4th runners up as Amb Prof Sam Ongeri 3rd runners up as Sis Asenath Ongeri 2nd runners up as Sis Petronilla Arunga and 1st runners up as Bro Geoffrey Asanyo I must say I was very surprised that the runners up consisted of only old folks Surprised too because our previous Youth Week of prayers had minimal attendance by older folk Now here they stood having not only attended but actively participated by outstandingly inviting guests day after dayIn retrospect I think about the older folk and get challenged that despite their busy schedules they have time to actively serve the Lord I mean if we were to mention at the most basic level Prof Ongeri is an Ambassador of the State Sis Asenath is a new judge (congratulations) and author Sis Petronilla runs a catering business and Bro Asanyo is a businessman Pr Gekonge said they had caused the angels in heaven to smile

by their missionary spirit Then came the grand finale Drums rolling Melanie Osuri was declared the Evangelist of the week You would not pick her out from the crowd No you would not for nothing about her height or face stands out save for her smile passion and commitment to godly and goodly things She is only but 22 years and a 4th year undergraduate pharmacy student at the University of Nairobi We could imagine that this being her final year it is busy and rigorous Yet she invited over ten of her friends from School We asked her how she did this and she disclosed that she kept telling her friends to come to the most awesome place they had ever been When the friends came they were richly blessed When was the last time we presented the church as the most awesome place ever to our friends It really is Anywhere Jesus abides and any place Jesus has called his dwelling place is nothing but tremendously rich with blessings and an acquaintance with Him is life-changing for the good

ldquoChurch members hellipare to be ever ready to spring into action in obedience to the Masterrsquos commands Wherever we see work waiting to be done we are to take it up and do it constantly looking unto Jesushellip If every church members were a living missionary the gospel would speedily be proclaimed in all countries to all peoples nations and tonguesrdquo Testimonies for the Church 932

So why not challenge yourself and become one of the Christrsquos Ambassadorrsquos Invite friends to church Smile for God is good Represent Christ in your demeanour and I am sure there will be a crown waiting for you in gloryPictures by Elder Rogers Atebe

Top from Left Sis Asenath Ongeri Prof Sam Ongeri Bro Geoffrey Asanyo Sis Petronilla Arunga Melanie Osuri and Pr Naftali Gekonge Below are other ambassadors who invited guests to church

MAIN STORY

Sis Melanie Osuri ldquoEvangelist of the Weekrdquo during the March 2015 Youth Week of Prayer

By Janet OyendeThe preacher of the Youth Week of Prayer Pr Naftali Gekonge lsquos voice boomed over the microphone His challenge ldquoInvite your friends this weekrdquo Expounding further he said ldquoInvite Family non-Adventist Classmates and Backsliders for this week is the week of reclaimingrdquo It almost sounded like the casual challenge we often received at church save for two things Firstly it carried with it the missionary work on part of the participants and secondly it came with

Youth Week ndashGreat Success


4PASTORATE

By Pr Vincent Okongrsquoo

All things both in heaven and in earth declare that the great law of life

is a law of service The infinite Father ministers to the life of every living thing Christ came to the earth to provide service to all and to redeem us And the Holy Spirit was sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvationThe first step in practicing the law of victory is taking responsibility for the success of the team department or organization you lead in service The service must become personal Your commitment must be higher than that of your team members Our passion should be high Our dedication must be unquestioned Leaders must demonstrate a high commitment in service You need to examine yourself to determine if service commitment is in you If you search yourself and are unable to convince yourself to bring that kind of commitment then one of three things is probably true

You are pursing the wrong vision You are in the wrong organization You are not the right leader for the job

Let us all praise the Lord our God for He is good He will lead us into the whole truth and make us worthy servants

The Law of Leadership inMinistry

Those who come to Nairobi Central Church will bear witness that it is not just a place

where people attend service of fellowship but it is a mission training environment that enables those who attend to leave as witnesses of a rich worship experience People from various walks of life countries and background come to this congregation You should see the youth deacons deaconesses and elders passionate on a Sabbath morning and geared to go to different schools to minister There are about 15 high schools with a relatively good number of Adventists that are always ministered to with a good number being baptized to the fellowship of believers Nairobi Central Church has always been humbled in partnering with the institutions to mold and prepare the young people not only to be good citizens of this world but of the world to comeElders are never left out in in-reach and outreach ministries Various departments are headed by an elder and the baptism class entirely receives guidelines teaching and preparation from the elders The 70 elders in Nairobi Central Church are kept busy ministering to such a large congregation The deacons and deaconesses day to day services to the church touch lives in an ever-blessing manner One other department that you can never miss to feel its presence is the Women Ministry Visitors are ever taken care of every Sabbath the young ladies of the church mentored in various ways and children taught too Further the Adventist Men Organization (AMO) has taken their services into prisons as describes elsewhere in this newsletter They have also worked together with the deacons to

By Pastor Gerald Mochoge Nyarega

Nairobi Central SDA Church ndash A Blessing

plant a church in Bondo Siaya CountyTalking of children this department from the beginning of the year has become outstanding in doing various activities From the successful VBS that saw various non Adventist children and their parents attend to the outreach program extended to Kabete the various Sabbath outings that different classes have had and the divine Sabbath program that children blessed the church with one is almost made to believe that if Christ doesnrsquot come in the near future then there is still a foundation that will echo the gospel call and firmly lead the church on Apart from blessing us on a Sabbath day the special needs department has also planned outreach activities to Kawangware as well as evangelistic campaigns to reach people with special needs No one in Central Church wants to be left behind in winning souls for Christ With their youthful vigor the youth have brought life to the church through music worship concerts enriching bible studies a well-attended week of prayer amongst other in-reach activities We pray that they continue mounting up with wings like eagles as they wait upon the lord and serve him in preparing a people to meet him

Having only been the first quarterly this is just a glimpse of the many things the lord desires to do in and through the many members of Nairobi Central SDA Church Are you a part of this powerful movement that is ready to go out every day for mission for the savior If you cannot preach like Paul you can surely tell the love of God in the great things he has done for you ldquoHow beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news who proclaim peace who bring good tidings who proclaim salvation who say to Zion ldquoYour God reignsrdquo Isa 527

DATE ACTIVITYJuly 19th Masterguide OutreachJuly 25th Church Investment EmphasisJuly 26th AY Prayer BreakfastAugust 2nd ndash 8th VBS Outreach Mission to Siana - NarokAugust 8th ndash 15th Camp Meeting

Kamiti Prisons Camp Meeting Amo Consult Pastorate

August 15th Church PotluckAugust 16th ndash 23rd Annual Adventurer camp outAugust 29th Elders Sabbath

DATE ACTIVITYAugust 30th AY Car WashSeptember 5th Children SabbathSeptember 6th Prophecy WeekSeptember 12th Baby DedicationSeptember 13th AMO Prayer Breakfast

Women Ministry OutreachSept 18th-20th Deacons ndash Nyanza Mission OutreachSeptember 20th Children Ministry Teacher TrainingSeptember 26th Holy Communion SabbathSeptember 27th AY Summit and Pathfinder Summit

Church Activities Planned for the Months of July - September 2015


5ELDERS DEACONS DEACONESSES

Nairobi Central Seventh Day Adventist Church has currently 140 deaconesses serving for the year 2015 to 2016 The department is headed by Sis Lora Mokaya who is assisted by eleven other assistant head deaconesses The head deaconesses form a council and meet regularly every two weeks to assess plan and implement measures that enhance the smooth and efficient running of the church

Deaconesses work in partnership with deacons In recent times both departments are referred to as deaconry though church members still use the term deaconesses when they want to make it clear they are referring to the ladies and deacons for men

If one should ask a church member what deaconesses do the response would likely be that they collect offerings on Sabbath and help you find a seat Deaconesses do far more By the time you are comfortably seated in the pews on Sabbath the deaconry have already been active on Friday evening ensuring the church is clean and well prepared so that when you arrive on Sabbath all is orderly tables are

beautifully covered and your bulletin and offering envelopes are right in front of youDeaconesses are concerned about sick and bereaved members Since January deaconesses have visited over 33 bereaved families and also sick members to pray with and console them

Visitors are always welcomed but may feel lost in a big church as ours We get a better opportunity to fellowship and mingle with them during the lunches graciously provided and served by deaconesses Many have been touched by the warmth and attention given then

Many deaconesses are assigned to schools colleges and childrenrsquos home They offer spiritual guidance and become a source of comfort and support for the students away from home environment Our current motto is 1 Corinthians 1031 For whatever you do do it all to the glory of GodDeaconesses feel privileged to be workers in Godrsquos vineyard and our prayer is to be faithful servants We welcome our church newsletter Keep watching our space

The Deaconesses Department

From The Eldersrsquo Desk The Deaconsrsquo Dedicated ServiceNCSDAC deacons department currently has a total of 94 men serving the period 2015 and 2016 The department is led by the Head Deacon assisted by first and second assistants and other eight assistants To help in efficient execution of the department mandate the deacons department is constituted of nine subcommittees each led by an assistant head deacon These Subcommittees include Security sub-committee Finance or Treasury subcommittee the Music subcommittee and the Physical subcommittee responsible for the care and maintenance of church properties (movable and fixed) Nairobi Central Church has over 15 Branch Sabbath schools in Nairobi Each of these Sabbath schools has two deacons attached to help facilitate with the Sabbath programs there These deacons are coordinated by the Branch Sabbath School Subcommittee which is the largest subcommittee Further all the 94 deacons belong to the In-reach subcommittee which looks after the spiritual nourishment of the members by organizing the spiritual outreaches for the department Last but not least of the subcommittees is the secretariat The secretariat keeps record by compiling all the activities and reports from the other subcommittees which is then presented to the Church Board by the Head DeaconOther responsibilities within the deaconry include collection of offerings counting and banking preparation for baptismal services in and out of the church (eg Kamiti prisons) coordinating ordinance of humility and serving Holy Communion to the church members within the church in Sabbath schools together with any other member who may be sick in hospital or at home Averages of about 700 to 900 members are served Holy Communion every quarter and so efficiency in service to reduce time wastage is in order

Service in the deaconry is very interesting and also exciting One needs to serve a term to realize how rewarding this service is to spiritual growth as the deaconry department serve as a training ground for many evangelists

From the Deacons Desk

Praise be to the Lord our God and greetings to all saints of

Nairobi Central SDA Church It is with joy that we welcome Nairobi Central Herald quarterly newsletter that will update church members on all church activities and initiatives The publication of this newsletter is timely and I believe it will enable members to give feedback to the church leadership on all issues that concern themWe thank the Lord that most of the departments kicked off the implementation of their objectives on a high note This high energy level needs to be maintained and sustained for the church membership to grow spiritually It is my earnest appeal to all departmental leaders to continuously evaluate their

By Sis Lora Mokaya Head Deaconess

achievements against their set objectives and re-assess the way forwardAt all times as we do Godrsquos work let us surrender to Him and ask for His Wisdom so that His will can be done Let us remember the work cut for us in Christrsquos message to the world in Mathew 28 verse 19 saying Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Yes let us go and make disciples of all nationsGod bless Nairobi Central Church members

Elder Elias OchollaHead Elder


6DEPARTMENTAL

In the last two years the Adventist Men Organisation (AMO)

campaigns in Kamiti and Athi River prisons has resulted in more than 200 souls being baptized One of the baptized inmates was later released and is undertaking theology at Bugema University

Through AMOrsquos good work Prison Department has offered a plot in Kamiti for the construction of a church and other facilities Nairobi Central Church is working closely with the Central Kenya Conference to fast track this project Already one acre has been set aside and plan is underway for constructing the church with future plan of build a center for counseling and sustainability programmes The project is expected to cost more

than ksh53m It is our hope that the project committee will soon start fundraising for this project to support more soul winning in prisons AMO also organized another campaign in Bondo and opened a Sabbath school which has been organized into a church AMO is planning more campaigns this year and is calling upon members and well wishes to donate toiletries reading materials eg Great Hope Desire of Ages When God said Remember Steps to Christ and Kiswahili Bibles In 2013 AMO conducted free medical camps at Bondo and Kamiti Prison where over four hundred and over two hundred people adults and children respectively were treated Free used clothes were also provided at Bondo

Prisonrsquos Ministry Through AMO

Plans are now underway to provide the much needed refurbishment for the

iconic Old Sanctuary Church members have long experienced the frustrations of poor visuals and sound dilapidated finishes lack of adequate meeting rooms and even the unnecessary experience of taking many of our membersrsquo functions and meetings to other institutions during the week

With the providence of our Almighty God all these frustrations will soon be a thing of the past The actual construction work is projected to commence this July The main purpose of these works will be to enhance the current usage that includes the following Holding of various Sabbath Classes by our junior and youth departments various departmental meetings and as a multi-functional hall during the week for selected meetings The Investment Committee which is in charge of the project has proposed to incorporate the following

New Ceramic floor tiles to replace the dilapidated pvc floor tiles New lighting and PA systems New plastic chairs for flexible seating arrangements Sound insulated folding partitions to divide Old Sanctuary into two meeting separate rooms when needed Some minimal re-planning of the pulpit area to enhance efficient use of space Basic re-painting and other repairs to entire spaces Repairs to ladies bathrooms Extending and modernizing the gents bathrooms

For this project to work as planned it requires the whole hearted support from church members firstly by giving generously to the fundraising efforts for the project The remodeling of the Old Sactuary is phase 1 of Investment Committee initiative that will cost about ksh 7m Once all approvals by Church Organs are attained the project is targeted to start in early July 2015 and be completed by end of

Old Sanctuary To Receive Facelift

September 2015 In phase 2 the refurbishment of the New Sanctuary basement meeting room and church washrooms will be undertaken It is estimated that the phase 2 works will cost about ksh 5m Work on phase 2 will commence 1 year later (or earlier) depending on funds raised and income generated It is projected that the Old Sanctuary renovation will yield about kshs 5m annually These funds will be used for church growth and soul winning All church members will be encouraged to as much as possible book their meetings (harambee meetings wedding committees trainings etc)

There are plans to conduct a medical camp on 9th August by Adventist Medical

experts for those who will come forward On the same day there will be nutritional demos by professional nutritionists to promote healthy eating and a healthy living Further there will be praise and song by many invited choirs who will grace the Camp Meeting All members are invited to come and to bring family members friends workmates and other visitors Yes all are welcome


Continued from page 1


7CHILDRENS PAGE

April 2015 was a most exciting month for the children of our church because this is

when we had our Vacaton Bible School The best thing this year is that our church family raised money for the event making it possible for all children to attend VBS a blessing indeedOur Theme this year was set in Mt Everest titled Conquering Challenges with Gods Mighty Power We were blessed to register 430 children and the number kept rising as word spread we stopped counting We also had an awesome power team of volunteers who dedicated their time and energy to nurture these young minds VBS began every morning at 815 am with devotion followed by base camp sing and play where the lesson of the day was introduced The children also got to learn a new songThe children were divided into mixed age climbing crews led by our very responsible teenagers to go through seven stations in turns Other stations were music station where the songs were learnt in depth Bible expedition where the bible stories came to life Imagination where the kids put on their creative caps and made beautiful crafts Kidvid Cinema is where the kids watched stories of real kids who overcame challenges with Gods mighty power Mountain top treats is where the lesson of the day was emphasized through food it was probably the most popular station Glacier games was where exciting games happened There was always laughter and cheers hereThe most unique station this year was Spotlight VBS where pictures of the kids were taken as they went through activities At summit celebration which was our closing station the kids got to see pictures of themselves and this got a lot of awws and oohs The most amazing thing about this VBS was that we had 36 non Adventist children attending daily Their parents also honored us with their presence on the last Sabbath We had an awesome week

Kabete Juvenile RemandSo VBS did not just end at church we extended our mission to the children of Kabete Childrenrsquos Remand center This is an institution that hosts children aged between 7-18 whose cases are being determined in court and those who need care and protection We had an average of 76 children coz as their cases are decided they move to other institutions and new kids are broughtWe were blessed to minister to 9 Muslim teenagers

My God is PowerfulI will hold on to Him - VBS 2015

Initially they were skeptical but as we progressed they joined in all activities and our prayer is that God will cause the seeds planted in their minds to germinate that they will have the courage to follow the true God Supported through prayer by a team of volunteers the spirit of God enabled us to break the language and concentration barrier among other challenges enabling us to take these children through all the five lessons crafts music and games

Kabete Boys Rehabilitation CenterIn the middle of the week at the Juvenile remand home we got an opportunity to have a 1 day VBS with the big boys serving time at the rehabilitation center Through Gods grace we were able to compress the five day VBS and teach the Bible lessons songs games and even crafts in one morningIn this institution we also ministered to Muslims who though a bit distant initially took part in all activitiesOur Gratitude goes to God because it is through his power and Grace that were able to serveWe say thank you too to our church family through whose generous

contribution all this was possible We would also like to thank our Pastors and notably Pr G Mochoge for the support We are eternally grateful to Steve Areba our childrenrsquos ministry leader and team ( Festus and Ruth) you stood by us guided us and supported us in more ways than we can ever tell God bless you Last but not least to the VBS POWER TEAM of volunteers who dropped all their activities for two entire weeks to serve God and those who sent in their prayers and encouragement daily It is not in Vain what you do for God you will be rewarded on earth and in heaven keep serving keep the faith

StatisticsVBS at church over 430 (36 non Adventist)Remand Home 76Boys rehabilitation 55 ( all non Adventist)Muslims 9Our God is powerful hold on

By Sis Njeri Mogaka


8

HERALD

Planned and organised by Nairobi Central SDA Church Youth Social Committee under

the umbrella of the Church leadership the youth Easter Retreat was a great success and all glory goes to the Almighty God The Easter Retreat was held from Friday 3rd to Monday 6th April 2015 at the Laikipia Place Camping site in Nanyuki In attendance were youth from the Nairobi Central Church and from other churches The total number of youth who attended this retreat was one hundred and twenty one (121) There was hence a great turnout for this retreat with a fusion of senior youths and ambassadors which was really commendable

Venue Laikipia Place Nanyuki Theme Building an Army of Youths for Christ Key Verse Psalms 255 5 lsquoLead me in thy truth and teach me for thou art the God of my salvation on thee do I wait all the dayrsquo Speaker Pr Gerald Mochoge

A youth retreat offers time for young people to withdraw from their normal activities Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit this time apart provides youth with an opportunity to encounter Jesus reflect upon the working of God in their lives and formulate their personal responses to the call of discipleship received in baptism

Easter Youth Retreat Activities at a glanceThe treasure hunt This is the first activity that was carried out upon arrival at the camp The main aim of this activity was to enable the youth to familiarize themselves with different elements of the campsite to promote teamwork to encourage in-depth Bible study and to jog memories on the Bible and SDA fundamental beliefs

Singspiration This experience has become a typical first Friday evening of every month event for the youth This beloved hour of prayer and worship was given the name Singspiration to reflect its ultimate purpose ndash to inspire the youth to worship God together as one body praising the name of Jesus

Sabbath Sermon The sermon was delivered by Pastor Gerald Mochoge The title of the sermon was lsquoThe army of God the defenders of our faithrsquo Key Verse Jude 3 lsquoBeloved when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saintsrsquo The pastor emphasized on three main points Diligence Understanding and Rigour as the key factors that the army of God must emulate This calls for Lifestyle Health and Sabbath reform

Outreach - Tumaini Childrenrsquosrsquo Home visit The youth paid a visit to Tumaini Childrenrsquos Home on 5th April 2015 The home is located a few kilometers from Nanyuki town and hosts HIV-positive children It is managed by Italians who work within the Archdiocese of Nyeri Tumaini caters for 41 children from different (sometimes far) places and backgrounds This visit was a great opportunity to share with the children in song and prayer The youth also donated money and bought dry foodstuff and toiletries for the children It was a powerful outreach session with the young ones truly a blessing

Teambuilding The aim of the teambuilding was to encourage teamwork socialization and a common understanding Team building requires the realization of personal strengths feelings and hindrances of each working member Several factors can hinder relationships in the church such as low morale lack of understanding and poor communication among others Sugar Cubes The Sugar cubes activity was designed to provide the youth with an opportunity to inspire and encourage each other through written notes Envelopes with names of each member who attended the retreat were stuck up on the wall and everyone had an opportunity to write inspiring notesquotes to as many people as

possible The envelopes were handed over to each member just before departure from the Campsite Everyone got an inspiration quote for the soul

Success of the Retreat Our Almighty God dignified this event and the success of the retreat was not just a matter of having the right techniques and activities the retreat experience provided possibilities for enhancing young peoplersquos spirituality The main aims of the retreat were

To Reach up To develop in every individual a personal relationship with their God through personal Bible study and prayer to prepare youth for a lifelong walk with ChristTo Reach across To foster leadership cohesiveness across all entities within the youth ministry to model servant leadership and to promote unity among the youthTo reach out To extend a range of services that provide effective care nurture and healing for the needy in society

Upcoming December Youth RetreatIt is hoped that the custom December retreat will be held this year The retreat will target all the junior and senior youth and the programme will be informed by the lessons learnt from the Easter Retreat All youth are invited to plan for the December Retreat

NAIROBI CENTRAL

Easter Youth Retreat At AGlance

From Top Youths taking a group photo after team building Bottom Left Belinda Lusi Brent Okoth Mrs Mochoge Mabel Omollo and Mrs Makana before a team building event Right Youth assemble for team building

By Mabera Nyaboga Secretary Youth Social Committee NCSDAC


2

TABLE OFCONTENTS

Nairobi Central Church has established a new Department Publishing

Department

Among the priority activities of the department is the publication of this quarterly newsletter which will be sold as a hard copy while the members will have the opportunity to download soft copies free of charge through the church website The main focus of the newsletter will be to promote evangelism be used as a medium of communication of informing the church membership of many activities that the members should know as well as promoting and nuturing writing skills among the membership In this newsletter we look forward to highlight the work of the various Church Departments with special focus on soul winning sharing basic Truths of the Bible and encouraging Bible Study to enhance spiritual growth The newsletter will provide an opportunity for documentation of personal testimonies compilation of book summaries sharing of Bible quotes puzzles and interesting tips and communicating lessons learnt from the activities of the various Church Departments

The newsletter will also be used to document the history of Nairobi Central Church Currently we have little information on how the church was started and we are not sure what is available in the archives In this regard we wish to appeal to all church members to share with us any information and any photos which will help us celebrate our past even as we look forward to a strong future as we await the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour

Further we look forward to facilitating authorship among Nairobi Central Church members The department will organize a writing seminar during this year for those interested in writing books and other literature that are focused on Godrsquos word

We are very hopeful that this quarterly newsletter will make a major contribution to soul winning as we share the word of God and our various testimonies with our family members friends and at the workplace

Publishing Department Gets Off Ground

Editorial Board

ChairmanSammy Masara

The Pastorate Alex Ambuchi Vincent Okongrsquoo Gerald Mochoge Childrenrsquos Department Steve Areba

Youth Department Gevira Omondi Communication Department Elijah Omwenga

PMC ndash Robert Arunga Health ndash Joseph Kwasa

Publishing Department Vincent Orinda Asenath Ongeri

EDITORIAL

BIBLE TEXTS TO PONDER2 Chronicles 19 verses 6 ndash 7 (NIV)

When King Jehoshaphat king of Judah appointed judges in each of the fortified cities of Judah he told them

Vs 6 ldquoConsider carefully what you do because you are not judging for man but for the Lord who is with you whenever you give a verdict

Vs 7 Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you Judge carefully for with Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or briberyrdquo

All readers are encouraged to contribute Bible texts that challenge us

Introductory Note1

Editorial 2

Main Story 3

Pastorate 4

EldershipDeconsDeaconesses5

Departmentals6

Children7

Youth 8

Design layout byKelvin Nyagancha


3






MAIN STORY





4PASTORATE





































6DEPARTMENTAL


















7CHILDRENS PAGE









By Sis Njeri Mogaka


8

HERALD














NAIROBI CENTRAL





3






MAIN STORY





4PASTORATE





































6DEPARTMENTAL


















7CHILDRENS PAGE









By Sis Njeri Mogaka


8

HERALD














NAIROBI CENTRAL





4PASTORATE





































6DEPARTMENTAL


















7CHILDRENS PAGE









By Sis Njeri Mogaka


8

HERALD














NAIROBI CENTRAL






















6DEPARTMENTAL


















7CHILDRENS PAGE









By Sis Njeri Mogaka


8

HERALD














NAIROBI CENTRAL





6DEPARTMENTAL


















7CHILDRENS PAGE









By Sis Njeri Mogaka


8

HERALD














NAIROBI CENTRAL





7CHILDRENS PAGE









By Sis Njeri Mogaka


8

HERALD














NAIROBI CENTRAL





8

HERALD














NAIROBI CENTRAL




Documents

Vol 1 July - September 2015 NAIROBI CENTRAL …nairobicentralsda.or.ke/images/downloads/herald_vol1.pdfopportunity to download soft copies free of charge through the church website